Walk into the famous Berlin Berghan Nightclub Even for some of the most famous DJs in the world, this is a daunting task. Therefore, they are not worried about the challenge of persuading UNESCO to grant Berlin electronic music heritage status.
The artists behind the Love Parade festival, the DJs who pioneered the genre, and the managers of the largest club in the German capital believe that the support of UN agencies is essential to ensure the future of the countercultural music genre.
In the mid-1980s, Techno’s shocking mechanical beats appeared in Detroit. When the Berlin Wall fell, the Berliners reunified this genre as the perfect soundtrack.Abandoned bunkers, power plants and factories in the east of the city Crowded with club members Both parties are celebrating their freedom.
However, according to Detroit DJ Alan Oldham, both the new crown virus and gentrification threaten the survival of “free, wild, and creative Berlin.” Underground resistance Live in Berlin now.
“UNESCO’s protection will greatly help maintain this ancient spirit,” he told Observer“Traditional places such as Treasure For example, Berghain will be protected as a cultural landmark.
“In the seven years I lived here full-time, many venues were closed. In other cities, this will be a natural club cycle at work, but Berlin is a different place, where clubs and creative scenes are here. Yes The currency of the city. “
Oldham’s radio show in the 1980s provided the first platform for techno. He was one of the supporters of the Rave the Planet activity. Rave the Planet was formed by Matthias Roeingh. His better-known name is Dr Motte, who is the founder of Love Parade. people. They are lobbying the German authorities to apply for UNESCO’s Berlin Technical Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) status.
ICH is more often awarded to lesser-known events, such as Mwinoghe dance in Malawi or bagpipe culture in Slovakia, but Jamaican reggae music and India’s huge Kumbh Mela music festival are recognized, and the Pride Festival in Amsterdam is recognized by the Dutch government support. Acknowledge that technology will open up access to government subsidies and other funding sources, and the club will receive additional protection under the urban planning law.
“UNESCO’s protection will help establish technology and club culture as legitimate social forces of historical value and government support, not just hedonistic, one-off club music and drugs,” Alder Mu said. “In the end, my hometown of Detroit may also benefit.”
Another supporter is Dimitri Hegemann, who founded Tresor, the “Vault” under a former department store in East Berlin. “After the fall of the Berlin Wall, technology changed the city of Berlin,” he said. “Eastern children love it, western children love it, and they are bound by it. This is an opportunity to try new things, for example, after World War II in Paris, Miles Davis brought cool jazz music Came here.
“In 1989 and 1990, people from Eastern countries, such as Poland, came to Tresor. They could not speak English. The new generation of Detroit techno, Underground Resistance, etc. were speechless. There is no stupid news. This is just what we can dance. music.”
Berlin DJ and music producer Peter Kirn said that Techno is still part of the city. “You can really hear this kind of music from every corner. It’s really everywhere,” he said. “In other cities, people will not accept music that is very ugly or weird, full of synthesizers and very cruel and distorted drum machines. You can’t play that during peak hours in the club, let alone lunch time. Here, It is perfectly acceptable to play it at lunch time.”
He was initially skeptical about UNESCO’s bid, but later reconsidered it. “I realized this is like any folk music-there is always this kind of conflict between traditional music and experimental music. The tension between these two things pushes it forward.”
Cohen said that Black Detroit artists such as Oldham and Juan Atkins moved to Berlin because Berlin provided better support than the United States in terms of art funding and medical care. It is also the center of electronic music and the home of Ableton and Native Instruments, which make the software and instruments behind most modern beats.
“Techno has become a refuge for marginalized people. When you come from a less forgiving place, Berlin has a natural appeal as a more forgiving place,” Kirn said.
“Berlin is on this rupture line between the western regions Europe And Eastern Europe. Although much of the focus was on what this meant in the 1990s, when the wall fell, people paid less attention to what was happening now-Georgia was in crisis, Poland was in crisis, and Russia was in crisis. Therefore, people from all these places see Berlin as the center of some radical social reaction. “
